Okay...ground out 70-some-odd miles and two mountain passes — Squaw Pass and 11,990-foot Loveland Pass — before my bike's rear derailleur, which I had just had overhauled, crapped out and stopped changing gears. Or rather changed gears too much, letting the chain run up and down the gear cluster...big fun on rolling Colorado terrain.
All in all, my butt is sore and my knees are fairly pissed at me, but I suspect I will recover. The ride banned iPods for safety reasons, but darn, I sure could have used something like George Thorogood and the Destroyers on the screaming drop off Loveland Pass...
I assume they actually banned earphones? Get a portable speaker system for your ipod. I use a iMainGo when I can't use earphones. You could put it in a bag on your handlebars.
ReplyDeleteDude! Don't overhaul a derallieur, replace it. My favorite question is: When you hit your brakes does your bike change gears? That's why I don't use STI, no "friction only" setting.
ReplyDeleteMB-Have you ever ridden in or thought about riding in RAGBRAI-The "Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa." They start on the Iowa-Nebraska Border dipping the back tire of the bike in the Missouri River and then ride for 5 days across Iowa to end by putting the front tire in the Mississippi River. HUGE crowds every year. Usually averages, I think, around 70 miles a day, with a 100 mile Century Loop one day.
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